Ghida Frangieh
Article 47 of the Lebanese Code of Criminal Procedures makes a lawyer’s attendance during preliminary criminal investigations mandatory. However, the use of this right by suspects, especially those with low income, remains limited due to the failure to implement the mechanism of seeking the free-of-charge assistance of a lawyer assigned by the Bar Association for detained suspects.
This paper looks into the reasons why the Article 47 provision addressing the fundamental pillar of the right of defense, equality before the judiciary, and protection of criminal investigation’s integrity, has not been implemented. What are the difficulties and challenges faced in its application by the public prosecutions, judicial police, and the two Bar Associations in Beirut and Tripoli?
It aims to assess the difficulties impeding the right to have access to a free-of-charge lawyer during preliminary investigation for suspects who are unable to appoint a lawyer for financial reasons.
The paper examines how the relevant authorities in the criminal justice sector dealt with such legal reform a year and a half after its approval, focusing on the role of public prosecutions, Internal Security Forces, State Security, and the two Bar Associations to ensure the implementation of such right.
It is based on a review of the legal framework regulating the right to free legal aid; official documents issued by relevant entities, and interviews conducted during March and April 2022 with representatives of these entities.


Telecom giant, Telus, has become the first of its kind to commit to an Indigenous reconciliation action plan in Canada.
The plan was developed with input from Indigenous voices and numerous frameworks outlining reconciliation. It focuses on how the company can utilize its resources to help Indigenous communities. Indigenous leaders, Elders, and subject matter experts were some of the voices that contributed to the plan.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 calls to action, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and the 231 calls outlined in Peoples and the Reclaiming Power and Place: The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, were used as the basis for this plan.
The 39-page document focuses on four aspects. The first is connectivity; working with Indigenous governments and organizations to expand broadband. The company commits to enabling 20 communities with broadband access between 2022 and 2023.
Enabling social outcomes is the second pillar, and focuses on developing programs that focus on more than connectivity, and aim for long-term prosperity. This includes launching the Indigenous Community Fund in 2022 to so support communities in the areas Telus serves. The company also commits to financially supporting and volunteering for events led by Indigenous communities.
The third part is cultural responsiveness and relationships. This involves the company listening and learning about how it can “meet unique needs” and offer culturally responsive services. This will be done, in part, through developing a space to provide tailored experiences to Indigenous Telus staff and customers. The organization will also work to create guidelines to implement Indigenous perspectives in the corporate atmosphere in 2022. The company plans on offering acknowledgments of Indigenous territories in spaces held by Telus in 2023.
Economic reconciliation is the fourth aspect. It focuses on offering Indigenous communities economic participation and growth by working with Telus. Initiatives include creating a process that allows the company to support Indigenous businesses and increase spending with such businesses by 10 percent. The document lists 2022 and 2023, respectively, as the due dates for each goal.
The organization also commits to assembling an Indigenous advisory council in 2022 to monitor the status of the actions and provide continuous advice on how they can be implemented. The plan will be updated every year.
“Discrimination against Indigenous peoples has happened for [over] 150 years. We are willing to share our knowledge to support reconciliation,” Rose Crowshoe, Elder, Piikani First Nation, Treaty 7, said in a press release. “Telus is listening to the things we are sharing and I am glad that they are trying their best to do the right thing – especially through ongoing dialogue with Elders and knowledge keepers to learn the truth of our people.”
Source: Telus


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By Clarence Anthony
The last few months have been challenging in many ways. From the devastating impact of COVID to wildfires, hurricanes, and social uprisings.
Since the murder of George Floyd, more than 2,000 cities have erupted in protests and uprisings to draw attention to the brutal killings of Black individuals at the hands of police. The vivid images of the shooting of Jacob Blake, the killing of Breonna Taylor and most recently revelations related to the death of Daniel Prude has amplified the historical distrust between Black, Indigenous and communities of color and law enforcement.
The uprisings have also pulled back the curtain on the racist policies and procedures that undergird so many of our government institutions. However, it has also offered an opportunity for local leaders to reimagine and respond to calls for new visions of public safety.
Local leaders should be at the forefront of conversations, helping to create equitable, innovative, and improved systems that address the often-thwarted history of law enforcement in our country.
Here at the National League of Cities (NLC), we know the importance of peer learning, helping local leaders address these types of challenges and equipping them and their staff with resources critical to implementing change.
Recently, along with the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, NLC kicked off a series on this issue with the National Forum on Re-Imagining Public Safety. In this closed session, four-city leaders served as panelists and detailed their local plans to rethink what it means to keep their residents safe. As the moderator, I was pleased to facilitate a conversation between the panelists before an audience of more than 200 attendees in an open, safe, and passionate atmosphere.
Four leaders- Mayors Ras Baraka of Newark, NJ, Andy Berke of Chattanooga, TN, Tim Keller of Albuquerque, NM and Councilmember Phillipe Cunningham of Minneapolis, MN – shared how they are engaging with their respective communities and taking steps toward equity within their local systems.
Four key takeaways–
Newark has reallocated a percentage of their police budget to create an office of violence prevention. While in the works for some time, recent uprisings provided a catalyst for this to move forward. Mayor Baraka emphasized that more police on the street does not mean less crime nor a feeling of safety and that their city is rethinking public safety with a community lens. Chattanooga has decided to be open and honest about arrest data, including the racial disparities, in hopes to move toward a more trusting relationship with residents around policing. Mayor Berke also shared the need to address systemic racism across all city departments in order to truly work toward lasting change. Albuquerque is creating a new department of unarmed responders, to right-size the role of police in the city. Mayor Keller sees the need to utilize restorative justice practices in their public safety work and as a minority-majority city, the need to engage residents is key. Minneapolis is at the center of the conversation around public safety and is looking beyond simply reforming policing but rather seeking a holistic vision of public safety inclusive of prevention, intervention, enforcement and reentry services. Councilmember Cunningham highlighted the need to move beyond “reform” and toward a true re-imagining of the system.
Throughout the 90-minute forum, attendees and our panelists discussed several key elements to consider when engaging in conversation around law enforcement and the broader public safety work in cities across the county. Among these elements are accountability, community engagement, equity, and the reconciliation of past injustices. I was really struck by the candid nature of the conversation and the strong, tangible plans that each leader presented. Given this was a safe space, an openness existed in sharing both struggles and successes and I am eager to continue this series through additional blogs, more forums/discussions, related content at City Summit and publications from our team.
To close, I will share what I deemed to be a strong and hopeful thought from Laurie Garduque (Director of Criminal Justice with the MacArthur Foundation) –
it is possible to turn a system on its head if there is a spirit of collaboration and cooperation among all actors and stakeholders and a clear inclusion of the community and impacted voices.
About the Author: Clarence E. Anthony is the CEO & Executive Director of the National League of Cities. Follow him on Twitter: @ceanthony50.


Why does Christ seek the lost? He says, "'Here am I, here am I'" (Isa 65:1). "The Lord has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God" (Ps 14:2). "There is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God" (Ro 3:10). No one tries to find out because "every one of them has turned aside; together they have become corrupt" (53:3). They "walk in the way which is not good, following their own thoughts" (Isa 65:2). They "became futile in their speculations, and their foolish hearts were darkened" (Ro 1:21). Therefore God took the initiative saying, "'I have spread out My hands all day long to a rebellious people'" (Isa 65:2). "Not knowing about God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God" (Ro 10:3). Consequently "I permitted Myself to be sought by those who did not ask for Me; I permitted Myself to be found by those who did not seek me" (Isa 65:1). Today we see "the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost" (Lk 19:10).
When I was younger I tried to figure things out because it was a matter of survival. Just accepting was inadequate since only being fat, dumb and happy wasn't the answer. Someone once told me that his secret was just not worrying about it. However, I grew up during the cold war where a capitalist was good and a communist bad. But they're both people, though if you don't know what makes them tick, you might be taken advantage of and not survive. It could be how society programs you. So once I attempted to neutralize thoughts to prevent being programmed. I mentioned it to someone and her response was "people don't do that." Then I concluded that the more you knew the more successful you'd be. Instead of just accepting what you observed you'd have to comprehend it. Scientifically things are composed of atoms and molecules. Electrons, protons and neutrons are in everything and objects only differ by their arrangement and resulting characteristics. I thought of a glass, soft drink container and concluded that it was just my brain, senses, and experiences telling me what it was. Then I would have to accept my decision. That container could be a glass to hold liquid to drink. But what if it contained dirt to hold a flower? At that point you'd pretty much have it figured out. However, the store clerk where you were purchasing it had the right answer. You set it upside down with the rim on the table. Then little objects they also sold could be placed on the top for display. One teacher explained that you can't understand everything that the Bible says so you just have to accept it. But how do you know what you decide is true or not? "A natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised" (1Co 2:14). If you need the Spirit to comprehend scripture, but don't have the Spirit because you haven't experienced salvation, then it is a "catch-22" and you need a way to comprehend the gospel initially. It is revelation by "faith which comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ" (Ro 10:17). The Greek word rhema defines it as the Living Word of God himself speaking. Jesus told Peter "flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven" (Mt 1:17).


The digital world creates a LOT of data that answers critical questions like WHAT, WHO, WHERE and WHEN. When we go a level deeper and investigate we get answers to HOW, WHY and WHAT NEXT – only then we would have harnessed the true value and power of the data.


Duraid Jalili, Defence Studies Department and Co-Director of Environmental Security Research Group, King’s College London
On 16 March 2021, the UK government released its much-anticipated
Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy. The notable foregrounding of climate change and biodiversity loss within the review has already led to a range of responses and commentaries across broadcast and social media. This includes praise for the prominence that is given to climate change and biodiversity loss, and the signal that this sends to UK government departments and international partners. On the other hand, some reactions include emphatic critiques that the Integrated Review is neither ambitious enough in terms of the scale and pace of action required to mitigate the climate crisis, nor sufficiently honest or transparent with regards to the mismatch between government policy and practice.
Separate to the varying critiques and praise being levelled at the Integrated Review, there is value in considering what the language and focus of the review tells us about the UK government’s perspective on the nexus between climate change, biodiversity loss and security, as well as its vision for its own global climate and biodiversity role. This short piece does not seek to provide a comprehensive overview of all of these issues, but instead to point out some prominent themes and nuances within the Integrated Review.
The Climate and Biodiversity ‘Challenge’
In its framing of the links between climate change, biodiversity loss and security, the Integrated Review strikes an ambitious tone whilst seeking to retain room for manoeuvre. This is, of course, inherently related to the nature of such strategic reviews as broad visions or handrails for policy and strategy formulation. However, it has implications for the government’s approach to the interrelated climate and biodiversity crises. Key examples of this include the statement that climate change and biodiversity loss are “long-term challenges that if left unchecked threaten the future of humanity” (19), and that:
The window of opportunity the world has to tackle the climate and biodiversity crisis is shrinking. Urgent action is needed to limit global warming to 1.5°C and to end species decline and environmental destruction.
These statements set a strong tone on the ‘impact’ of these issues whilst still providing lexical flexibility on the degree and immediacy of these impacts, the perceived time available for solutions and the level of attention required. This stands somewhat in contrast to the 2015 National Security Strategy and Defence and Security Review (SDSR) which explicitly named 2035 as the point after which the “full effects” of climate change on UK national security were likely to be manifest.
Statements such as these also highlight an important facet of how the UK government wishes to frame the issue, in that climate change is referred to throughout the review as a “challenge” rather than a “threat”. This is consistent with the common lexicon of climate change as a ‘challenge’, ‘issue’, ‘risk’ or ‘threat multiplier’, which is found both across contemporary security sector commentaries and earlier strategic defence and security reviews (although the 2015 SDSR does in one instance refer to climate change as a ‘threat’). In addition to demonstrating strategic consistency, this framing could be seen as indicative of the government’s ongoing desire to avoid ‘securitising’ global heating and biodiversity loss. This serves to avoid a potential political backlash from those who would interpret this as a precursor to diverting finances from ‘natural’ solutions to ‘defence’ solutions. Not labelling climate change as a ‘threat’ may also serve to mollify those who remain concerned about spreading defence resources too thin (i.e. by tasking the military with solving the causes of insecurity, rather than the symptoms).
In terms of the specific security implications of climate change and biodiversity loss, the review names several issues in a dedicated section on “transnational challenges”. It explicitly notes that the extreme weather patterns caused by global heating “can amplify displacement and migration – increasing food and water insecurity” (31). It also states that climate change and biodiversity loss aid in “driving poverty, instability and migration”, and that the loss of natural habitats can increase the likelihood of pandemics (31) and would “result in a cumulative economic cost of up to $10 trillion between 2011 and 2050” (89). At the same time, the review also acknowledges – within a sub-section on resilience, climate change and biodiversity loss – that “it is not possible to predict or prevent every risk” (18).
These contexts highlight both continuity and change in UK governmental thinking on the nexus between climate change, biocapacity loss and security. In the first instance, the content of the Integrated Review highlights a continued preference for framing climate and biodiversity issues in relation to more traditional security challenges, in comparison to human security challenges. It also highlights an ongoing disinclination to engage in more complex or politically inexpedient debates on the linkages between these environmental challenges, and other transnational threats such as radicalisation or serious and organised crime (32). At the same time, the review does highlight a significant increase in the frequency and degree to which climate and biodiversity ‘challenges’ are being foregrounded by the government as key lenses through which to understand global insecurity and instability.
A UK Vision for Climate Leadership
In line with these contexts, the Integrated Review seeks to outline how the UK can help to mitigate global heating and biodiversity loss, whilst adapting to the irreversible climate and environmental changes already underway (89). The review clearly highlights the government’s desire to be seen as an international leader on this issue. This is particularly redolent in the stated principle that the government will make “tackling climate change and biodiversity loss its number one international priority” (4).
In achieving this prioritisation, the review seeks to strike a balance between leadership and followership. Most obviously, it places significant emphasis on the UK’s upcoming role in international ‘climate-related’ events (including COP26 and the G7), framing this as a “year of leadership in 2021” (14). It also states the need to “lead sustained international action” beyond 2021 (4, 21), as well as to identify “where we are best placed to support others in leading the advance towards our shared goals” (19).
This latter concept of ‘leading’ by ‘supporting’ enables the government to publicly frame certain supportive actions and activities as being representative of global ‘leadership’. It also enables them, in theory, to use climate diplomacy as a politically neutral channel for security and economic cooperation. Indeed, throughout the review, climate is used as a routine example of where the UK, and the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) in particular, can work with other nations to solve joint challenges (21, 22, 60-64), including specifically with adversaries such as China (22). This framing is extremely similar to that found in the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review (52, 54, 58, 59), to the point whereby it highlights both the nature of this principle as a consistent theme in UK government thinking and the degree to which the Integrated Review has actively borrowed certain framing mechanisms from the SDSR.
Understandably, there is a level of ambiguity regarding the ability to use climate issues as a point of common ground, given the highly politicised nature of historical and contemporary climate negotiations, as well as the Integrated Review’s notable lack of comment on whether climate issues represent a possible point of collaboration with adversaries such as Russia and Iran. This raises the question of where the limits lie in the UK’s goal “to find new ways to cooperate through creative diplomacy and multilateralism” (17). Indeed, despite the framing of climate change and biodiversity issues as points of common ground or shared interest for international relations, the review highlights the government’s awareness of the ways in which climate and environmental activities can tie in with alternative political and security gains.
A prominent example of this is in the section on “supporting a resilient ocean” which outlines the pivotal role of the ocean in ensuring global environmental and economic security, and the simultaneous pressures it faces from “climate change and environmental degradation” alongside wider issues such as great power conflict, piracy, and organised crime. The section outlines an “integrated” solution to this issue in the form of the Royal Navy’s new Multi-Role Ocean Surveillance Ship, tasked simultaneously with “protecting our CNI at sea and improving our knowledge of the maritime environment” to aide with environmental protection (92).
In addition to its implications for the UK’s diplomatic strategy, the Integrated Review’s approach to climate change and biodiversity loss highlights clear governmental priorities in terms of finance, technology and development. In the first instance, it provides a fairly clear approach to international development, centred around using public and private climate finance, with a focus on “climate action across Africa, Asia and Latin America” (9). This ties in with wider goals for the ‘greening’ of financial activities, including the creation of the Sovereign Green Bond, the disclosing of records for the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures, and the goal of “integrating biodiversity into economic decision-making in response to the findings of the Dasgupta Review” (90-91). Alongside this, the review seeks to foreground the need to “increase finance for nature and for nature-based solutions to climate change” (91). At the same time, however, it reiterates the government’s intention “to maintain secure global oil supplies” as “oil and gas will remain an important, if diminishing, part of the UK’s energy supply” (92). It also talks about prioritising investment in “green” or “clean” technologies (4, 7, 19, 30), including hydrogen research (9), space applications (29), as well as unnamed “novel technologies and applications” (30).
This approach is unlikely to reassure critics of current UK targets and actions. In the first instance, the stated potential for “new and cheaper tools to tackle climate change” (30) aligns with a commonly used and often criticised policy development habit of assuming that nascent or as-yet unknown technologies will present solutions to current challenges later down the line. In the second instance, the framing of pre-existing targets as being sufficiently “ambitious” (e.g. a 2050 net-zero target and £11.6 billion International Climate Finance commitment) is unlikely to ameliorate critics and reports which conclude that current targets and policy actions are insufficient for the UK’s mitigation, adaptation and resilience needs. This includes the government’s own independent Climate Change Committee which, in its July 2019 progress report, noted that the government’s policy actions remained “well short of those required for the net-zero target”, as well as concluding, in its December 2020 roadmap for Net Zero, that “the UK needs to increase its ambition on climate change adaptation, as it is not prepared even for the 1.5-2°C world.”
This latter issue of adaptation and resilience is of particular importance for the Integrated Review. Specifically, in line with the principle that “climate change and biodiversity loss present the most severe tests to global resilience” (24), the review pushes for enhanced resilience measures both nationally and globally, including in areas such as critical national infrastructure, education, governance, human rights and health security. This is interesting not merely in demonstrating the government’s tacit acknowledgment of the adaptation gap, but also in highlighting the degree to which the theme of resilience enables the Integrated Review to circle around the edges of some human security issues without having to frame these as core security threats.
Indeed, and perhaps above all, the language of the review highlights the continuation of the government’s growing emphasis on the concept of ‘resilience’ as an overarching means of framing climate security issues. As noted by Boas and Rothe (2016), the breadth and fuzziness of this resilience narrative enables the government to bring together a wide range of diverse actors and issues under a common theme or aim. This is seen particularly strongly in the fact that the review situates a major set of ‘mitigation’ and ‘net-zero’ goals and targets within its wider ‘resilience’ objectives (89-91).
The Final Word?
As is commonly acknowledged within the defence sphere, the value of a strategic review is often ambiguous. The ability to create a policy vision that retains its relevance over a five-to-ten-year timespan is increasingly at odds with the rapidly changing character of the international security environment. The potential for global heating and biocapacity loss to catalyse significant and unforeseen security threats in the next five years (both within and beyond the UK), alongside increasing public awareness and concern regarding these issues, reinforces the prospect that the mitigation and adaptation targets of the Integrated Review may need to be expanded and exceeded in a faster timeframe.
Indeed, two weeks after the release of the Integrated Review, the UK Ministry of Defence released its own Climate Change and Sustainability Strategic Approach document (which was used in part to inform the Integrated Review). Although this document uses the same framing mechanisms of adaptation and resilience, sustainability and net zero, and global leadership, it also provides an interesting counterpoint in relation to certain deliverables. This includes a more assertive stance on the UK’s adaptation and resilience needs, citing the military’s need to be “readied for a climate-changed world of between +2° and 4°C, as recommended by the Committee on Climate Change” (12). It also includes the acknowledgment that climate risks represent a potentially fertile ground for defence diplomacy (17), rather than confining this diplomatic role to the FCDO. As the present article highlights, whilst the specific deliverables and responsibilities foregrounded by the Integrated Review are already subject to reframing, it is likely that the use of resilience and sustainability narratives are here to stay within UK defence and security policy.


Access to finance remains a key growth constraint for small businesses, with data showing a $330 billion financing deficit for the small enterprises that make up 90% of Africa’s businesses.
This is the gap that Kenya’s embedded finance fintech Pezesha seeks to bridge as it expands into Nigeria, Rwanda and Francophone Africa following an $11 million pre-Series A equity-debt round led by Women’s World Banking Capital Partners II with participation from Verdant Frontiers Fintech Fund, cFund and Cardano blockchain builder Input Output Global (IOG). The round also included a $5 million debt from Talanton and Verdant Capital Specialist Funds.


I should preface this by saying I'm a complete nonexpert on this topic.
However, this is what the 2008 Nobel Prize for Economics award seems like to me.
1. Conservative academic economists value the nobel prize as a status and achievement symbol. They also value speculating on and predicting who will win it each year.
2. Swedes value feeling higher status than Americans, and two ways they get to experience this is by awarding nobel prizes, and by being regarded as having HDI due to the valuing of economic/social rights not recognized by Americans.
3. There is a cohort of economists where there is general consensus that they are nobel prize worthy in achievements. Some are liberal, some are conservative, some are neither or nonideological.
4. Krugman is a member of this cohort. It is more notable that of this cohort he has been the loudest critic of American conservatives than that he has had the most prodigious achievements within economics.
5. The Swedes in charge of deciding this year's nobel prize winner for economics chose Krugman to send a message to conservatives: in particular conservative economists. The message was something like: we're picking Krugman as a status performance. We're saying we're higher status than you because we disapprove of your politics, we approve of Krugman's criticism of it, and because we get to pick the nobel prize winner of economics and can use it to make points like that.
6. Conservative economists have more or less accepted this status performance because they want the nobel prize in economics to retain and increase its stature and prestige -and they fear a diminishment if they battled over its award this year to Krugman.
That's my layman's suspicion of the nontransparent semiotics and status performances regarding the nobel prize award to Krugman.


An infection caused by the reactivation of varicella-zoster (chickenpox) virus within the body of someone who previously had chickenpox or, less commonly, someone who received the chickenpox vaccine in the past
Appearance of red bumps and blisters (vesicles), usually in a narrow area on one side of the body. The rash may be itchy or painful.
The virus in the shingles rash can spread by direct contact to a person who has never been vaccinated or had chicken- pox. In this circumstance, the virus will cause chickenpox (not shingles) in that person.
No, unless Yes, when all the following criteria have been met:
The virus that causes shingles is the virus that causes chickenpox. Vaccination of susceptible individuals is the best way to prevent or decrease the severity of infection with this virus. A vaccine is currently available to boost immunity to the virus and prevent shingles in individuals who...


Purpose: Depression following major cardiac events is associated with higher mortality, but little is known about whether this can be reduced through treatment including cardiac rehabilitation and exercise training. We evaluated the impact of cardiac rehabilitation on depression and its associated mortality in coronary patients. Patients and methods: We evaluated 522 consecutive coronary patients (381 men, 141 women; aged 64+/-10 years) enrolled in cardiac rehabilitation from January 2000 to July 2005 and a control group of 179 patients not completing rehabilitation. Depressive symptoms were assessed by questionnaire at baseline and following rehabilitation, and mortality was evaluated after a mean follow-up of 1296+/-551 days. Results: Prevalence of depressive symptoms decreased 63% following rehabilitation, from 17% to 6% (P <.0001). Depressed patients following rehabilitation had an over 4-fold higher mortality than nondepressed patients (22% vs 5%, P=.0004). Depressed patients who completed rehabilitation had a 73% lower mortality (8% vs 30%; P=.0005) compared with control depressed subjects who did not complete rehabilitation. Reductions in depressive symptoms and its associated mortality were related to improvements in fitness; however, similar reductions were noted in those with either modest or marked increases in exercise capacity. Conclusion: In patients following major coronary events, cardiac rehabilitation is associated with both reductions in depressive symptoms and the excess mortality associated with it. Moreover, only mild improvements in levels of fitness appear to be needed to produce these benefits on depressive symptoms and its associated mortality.


Abstract
A representative polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P), has been widely detected in environmental compartments and is highly carcinogenic to humans. Oral ingestion of B[a]P is the dominant exposure pathway. The esophagus acts as the first contact point when B[a]P enters the human body. However, its role in the development of human esophageal cancer is rarely discussed. Herein, we employed untargeted metabolomics in combination with proteomics to explore B[a]P-related intracellular responses in human esophageal cell lines. Our results demonstrated that B[a]P exposure induced significant metabolic disorders, further leading to overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and disturbance of the cellular viability process and migration ability of esophageal cells. In response, glutathione (GSH) was consumed to meet the demand for cellular detoxification, and thioredoxin (TXN) was upregulated to balance the cellular redox. These alterations caused the reregulation of some specific protein families, including S100A proteins, ribosomal proteins, and histone H1 proteins. Such changes impeded the viability and migration of esophageal cells, which could adversely affect wound healing of the epithelium. These cellular responses indicate that B[a]P will cause serious cellular damage to esophageal cells and increase the carcinogenic risk even as a result of short-term exposure. Synopsis: Our omics study demonstrated how benzo[a]pyrene hampered the migration of esophageal cells and proposed a plausible mechanism underlying its carcinogenicity, which may contribute to our understanding of environmental pollutants.
Scopus Subject Areas Environmental Engineering Environmental Chemistry Waste Management and Disposal Pollution User-Defined Keywords Benzo[a]pyrene Esophageal cancer Metabolomics Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon Proteomics


Title
February 23, 2022: When Professional Identity Can Derail a Career: OD’s Role in Smoothing the Process
Files
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Description
Professional Identities can be defined as a representation of one’s self, developed over time through cognitive, psychological and socialization processes. It is a relatively constant and unchanging set of values, attitudes, beliefs and norms. Over time, an individual begins to think, act, and feel like a professional in their field. For occupational professionals such as physicians, nurses, engineers, and teachers, their professional identity becomes stronger, as these individuals are required to participate in continuing education, obtain professional certifications, and ascribe to specific professional ethics.
Professional identities can be both an asset and a liability as they ensure specialization, expertise, and even stability, but they also create boundaries and barriers when facing career changes such as promotions, job redesign and second careers. Without sufficient individual and organizational support, the new role can leave the professional feeling incompetent, without autonomy, and demotivated, leading to lower engagement and performance.
In this presentation I will discuss how promotions, job redesign, and second careers are impacted by an employee's professional identity. We will also examine how OD practitioners and managers must employ both a micro (personal/psychological/social) and macro (organizational/structural) change management approach in helping employees navigate through career transitions which may be incompatible with their professional identity.
Bio
Nila Jennings is a second-year doctoral student at Bowling Green State University, in their Doctor of Organization Development and Change program. She is the owner and Chief Strategy Officer of Fusion Coaching and Consulting Group, Inc., a management consulting group that provides leadership and management development and training, strategic planning, executive coaching, and organization development services. She is a member of the International Coach Federation and a Professional Certified Coach, a Strategic Planning Professional, and a professional member of the National Speaker's Association. You can contact Nila at nila@fusionccg.com.
Publication Date
2-23-2022
Recommended Citation
Jennings, Nila, "February 23, 2022: When Professional Identity Can Derail a Career: OD’s Role in Smoothing the Process" (2022).
DODC Symposiums. 7. https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/dodc_symposiums/7


There’s an oft-quoted ancient Chinese proverb that says: “May you live in interesting times.” It seems to resonate with our current situation: geopolitical upheaval, a pandemic recovery, a recessionary climate, and intensifying, ever-more sophisticated acts of cybercrime. If cybercrime were measured
Foundry, Formally IDG Survey Points to a Major Shift in Cybersecurity Spending While CEOs and CFOs develop forward-thinking strategies around new markets, products, and services to attract new customers, CISOs and CIOs continue to adjust their cybersecurity strategies. Changes to organizational processes
Choosing the Most Effective Security Technology – SIEM versus SOAR In a previous blog post, Why Organizations Are Moving to Managed Firewall and SIEM Solutions, we addressed not only the benefits of Firewall and SIEM security technologies, but also the challenges.


Webinars
Nearly a year into the largescale remote work experiment compelled by the coronavirus pandemic, most people have reconciled that no matter what lies ahead, organizations won't just revert to previous ways of how they worked.
This Forrester Consulting study, commissioned by BeyondTrust, spotlights how the expanded remote workforce is impacting security and how organizations are adapting to secure themselves in the post-COVID Era.
The study is based on a survey of 320 IT and security decision-makers across North America, Europe, and Asia.
As the remote workforce continues to expand this year, there is little question that Privileged Identity Management (PIM) will play an increasingly crucial role in keeping companies safe.
BeyondTrust’s Universal Privilege Management is an integrated solution that provides visibility and control over all privileged accounts and users. BeyondTrust unifies the industry’s broadest set of privileged access capabilities with centralized management, reporting, and analytics, enabling leaders to take decisive and informed actions to defeat attackers. Our holistic platform stands out for its flexible design that simplifies integrations, enhances user productivity, and maximizes IT and security investments.
BeyondTrust was also identified as a Top-ranked vendor in The Forrester Wave™: Privileged Identity Management, Q4 2020 in the strategy category. The report notes that Beyond Trust strikes a balance between user experience and security, as well as offers a breadth of strong core capabilities (vaults, session monitoring, endpoint), along with the advanced insights and reporting of BeyondInsight.


All College fees are set to recover the cost of regulating the profession of dietetics in Ontario in the interest of public protection.
Our regulatory obligations are stipulated in legislation by the provincial government within the
Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991,
and the
Dietetics Act, 1991
. This includes the activities of committees such as Registration, Quality Assurance, Patient Relations, Inquiries, Complaints and Reports, and Discipline, as well as administrative activities.
The College Council sets the registration fees and approves the annual operating budget in keeping with its regulatory obligations. The Council is mindful to only increase fees as necessary to fulfill those obligations. This year, the registration fee was not increased; it remains at $641.
By law, health profession colleges in Ontario are all required to fulfill similar regulatory responsibilities. There may be some economies of scale when the number of registrants is large, resulting in lower annual registration fees for a small number of health regulatory Colleges. Comparatively, the College’s annual registration fees align with others of a similar size and activities, such as the number of complaints and discipline cases received annually, and are considerably lower than many Colleges.
For a summary of how the College spends its funds, consult our Annual Reports
.


1.1 Ramucirumab, in combination with docetaxel, is not recommended within its marketing authorisation for treating locally advanced or metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer in adults whose disease has progressed after platinum-based chemotherapy.
1.2 This guidance is not intended to affect the position of patients whose treatment with ramucirumab was started within the NHS before this guidance was published. Treatment of those patients may continue without change to whatever funding arrangements were in place for them before this guidance was published until they and their NHS clinician consider it appropriate to stop.


Javier is a Human Physiologist based in the Department for Health at the University of Bath. He is also the Lead Performance Nutritionist for Team INEOS cycling team. Javier’s research is aimed at understanding diet-exercise interactions in health and disease. One strand of this work is to explore the role of carbohydrate availability in metabolic health, energy balance and (endurance) sports performance. A second strand aims to uncover new dietary approaches to influence the production of hormones from the gut, and thereby regulate appetite and energy expenditure. Javier has published more than 75 peer-reviewed articles in addition to some book chapters. In recognition of this work, he received the Julie Wallace Award 2018 by the Nutrition Society. He also has editorial roles with The Journal of Physiology and International Journal of Sport Nutrition & Exercise Metabolism. Prior to his lectureship at Bath, Javier completed a BSc (Hons) in Sport and Exercise Science, an MRes in Exercise Physiology, and a PhD in Human Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism. Following this, he completed a post-doctoral fellowship in collaboration with the University of Maastricht and Newcastle University studying the effects of nutrition on liver and muscle metabolism.


Dear Chairman Peters, Ranking Member Portman, Chairman Reed and Ranking Member Inhofe:
As the Senate considers the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023, we urge you to oppose language creating a designation for Systemically Important Entities (SIEs) that was added to the House bill as floor amendment 554. Financial institutions are supportive of efforts to improve the identification and risk assessment of critical infrastructure but believe the provision, as written, would duplicate existing designations without addressing gaps in government efforts to help protect private critical infrastructure from national security threats. While some critical infrastructure sectors are not captured by similar designation programs and may warrant additional oversight, financial institutions are already subject to extensive cybersecurity risk management and incident reporting frameworks that require reviews of security controls and data protection measures, the security of vendors and suppliers, governance processes, and incident notification and reporting. Adding yet another layer of reporting to a different set of agencies with different standards would detract significantly from financial institutions’ essential work defending against cyber threats. We welcome efforts to mature how the government assesses risk and improve the private-public partnership; however, this provision requires discussion with industry and other Congressional Committees to ensure it meets these objectives.
We encourage efforts to mature CISA’s capabilities and refine risk assessment models, but the SIE provision is problematic for several reasons, including:
Duplication with existing systemic designations and requirements Duplication with existing systemic designations and requirements
Financial institutions are already subject to several designations intended to recognize their heightened importance to national security. The Systemically Important Financial Institution (SIFI) designation, which stems from the Dodd-Frank Act of 2010, requires firms to adopt enhanced measures for security and resilience and includes additional oversight and examination by financial regulators. Many of these firms are also included in the Section 9 process, established by Executive Order 13636 in 2013 and managed by the Department of Homeland Security, which recognizes firms where a cyber incident could result in “catastrophic regional or national effects on public health or safety, economic security or national security.”
The SIE provision proposes to harmonize reporting requirements by allowing CISA to accept reports from regulators. Given the nature of financial regulations and the information CISA would require, however, a financial firm would have to prepare completely different reports to CISA. We would welcome a dialogue on how we can continue to inform CISA’s risk analysis efforts, but legislation should exempt regulated financial institutions from new reporting requirements.
Requirements to share sensitive information that could increase risk to firms Requirements to share sensitive information that could increase risk to firms
The information firms would be required to submit to CISA is sensitive and extensive. For example, providing CISA with details of supply chain risk management practices and “identifying critical assets, systems, suppliers, technologies, software, services, processes, or other dependencies” could expose firms to risk if it is inappropriately disclosed or stolen in a breach. This information would be highly valuable to malicious actors because it would provide a roadmap for how to attack a firm or disrupt a critical system or service. The legislation also does not specify what CISA would do with such information, nor how it would be shared or protected against disclosure.
Insufficient support for operational collaboration between firms and intelligence agencies
The Section 9 program was originally envisioned not only to identify critical infrastructure of importance to national security, but also to prioritize these firms for government support and enhanced cyber threat information sharing. Thus far, financial institutions have received limited government support, and would welcome greater opportunity for operational collaboration, not only with CISA but also with intelligence agencies. Any legislation addressing national systemic risks should institutionalize operational collaboration on national security threats between firms and intelligence agencies, including clear legal authorities, guiding policies, and corresponding resourcing to support the protection of critical infrastructure. Congress should address these issues and encourage opportunities for greater direct engagement at both strategic and tactical levels.
Banks and other financial institutions meet daily challenges from nation-state actors and sophisticated cyber criminals seeking to disrupt our economy. Firms have made significant investments individually and collectively through organizations like the Financial Services Information Sharing and Analysis Center, the Financial Services Sector Coordinating Council, and the Analysis and Resilience Center for Systemic Risk— organizations that work to improve information sharing and readiness across financial firms and between critical infrastructure sectors. We firmly support sharing information and collaborating with government partners to address cybersecurity threats and we supported the recent passage of the Cyber Incident Reporting for Critical Infrastructure Act of 2022.
Financial institutions also have decades of experience meeting the requirements of existing systemic designations and have complied with rigorous legal and regulatory requirements for the security and resilience of their operations for decades. As noted above, we have significant concerns with the SIE provision and encourage much greater dialogue and consideration of its impact on financial institutions given the complexities of our sector and myriad regulatory requirements. Legislation this important merits full consideration by relevant committees, including hearings and debate.
Thank you for your leadership on these important issues. We look forward to continuing to work with you to protect critical infrastructure and defend against cybersecurity threats.
Sincerely,
American Bankers Association
Bank Policy Institute


That this House notes that social security benefits are set to rise in April 2022 by the rate of general inflation in September 2021, which was 3.1 per cent; further notes that inflation reached 5.1 per cent in November 2021 and is expected to reach approximately 6 per cent in April 2022, resulting in a real terms cut in the value of social security benefits; notes that this will add to the financial difficulties being faced by households on low incomes who, based on recent evidence from the Threehills Community Supermarket and the broader Feeding Britain network, are already struggling to afford food and fuel; and calls on the Government to protect those households from the rising cost of living by using nearer-term forecasts to increase benefits in line with the actual rate of inflation that will apply in April 2022.


Current research envisages the investigation of inexpensive composite materials (Fe-TiO2 composite) incorporating in-situ dual effect by coupling photocatalysis and photo-Fenton for the treatment of wastewater using waste materials like foundry sand and fly-ash as a substitute for iron source. Scale-up studies (pilot-scale reactors) with these composite materials with nano-catalyst coating for anti-bacterial properties subsequently used for water disinfection studies. Similar composite has been transformed into ceramic tiles/mortar for treating air-borne infections. Presently, the research groups at Thapar University, Patiala [INDIA] are also actively involved in the designing of bioreactors using engineering modifications to enhance fermentative productivity for validating the concept of producing value-added products like bio-ethanol from community food waste.


PPE Supply Canada's procedural face masks are disposable and are designed for one-time use.
If your mask is wet, visibly dirty, soiled or torn, it should be immediately disposed of and changed, as the filtration efficiency and effectiveness diminishes with wear. We recommend the use of a new disposable mask at least each day, but it is up to the wearer to determine when a new mask is required.
Surgical masks do not provide a tight facial seal, resulting in half of the air escaping without being filtered. Infection takes one hour.


Stocks fell sharply Friday afternoon, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average down nearly 1,000 points, marking its worst day since October 2020.
The Dow fell 981 points, or 2.8%, on Friday afternoon, placing it down 1.9% for the week, its fourth straight weekly decline and its ninth losing week of the last 11.
According to a CNN Business report, all 30 stocks in the Dow ended the day lower, led by Verizon, which fell more than 5.5%, and Caterpillar, which plunged 6.5%. Goldman Sachs, Home Depot and Visa were also big downside contributors.
Shares of Gap Inc. plunged 18% on Friday as well, as the market reacted to the dismissal of Old Navy CEO Nancy Green on Thursday amid a revised lower guidance for the first quarter of 2022. The company now expects approximately low to mid-teens year-over-year declines in the first quarter fiscal 2022. Its prior guidance called for mid- to high-single-digit year-over-year declines.
“As we look to seize Old Navy’s potential, particularly amidst the macro-economic dynamics facing our industry, we believe now is the right time to bring in a new leader with the operational rigor and creative vision to execute on the brand’s unique value proposition,” Gap Inc. CEO Sonia Syngal said on Thursday.
What’s more, the S&P 500 was 2.8% lower on Friday, for its worst day since March, and the Nasdaq Composite ended the day down 2.6%.
The losses follow Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell’s remarks at a panel hosted by the International Monetary Fund on Thursday, where he signaled that a 50-basis-point rate increase was “on the table” for May, when the U.S. central bank holds its next policy-setting meeting. The Fed chair reiterated this hike is “absolutely essential” to combat inflation.
Soaring inflation has been a concern for months now, but this news follows last week’s report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics which stated that consumer prices rose by 8.5% in March compared with a year ago. This number was up from the 7.9% growth in February and represented the highest inflation rate since the 12-month period ending in December 1981.
As for footwear, prices grew 6.6% in March, year over year, according to data from the Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America (FDRA). This marks the third-fastest year-over-year increase in about 33 years, trailing behind February’s 7% increase and May’s 7.1% increase.
This rise in prices was finally addressed by the Federal Reserve in March when it raised its policy interest rate by 25 basis points, the first hike in more than three years.


For the final contribution to our symposium on Marta Russell, Beatrice Adler-Bolton interviews Liat Ben-Moshe and Dean Spade about the connections between their work and Russell’s political economic analysis of disability and law. They outline how Russell’s work fits within Critical Disability and Legal Studies and explore what her critiques have to offer current movements for liberation and economic justice.
The modern disability rights movement has been primarily oriented around seeking labor inclusion through the expansion of civil rights statutes. Despite this, few disability theorists have approached the study of disability from an explicitly political economic perspective. Marta Russell, the author of several groundbreaking but lesser-known works on disability and capitalism, is one of the rare exceptions. This symposium celebrates her work and encourages the rediscovery of the political economy of disability.


Abstract
The Bolivian Tobas in northern Gran Chaco were mobile hunter-gatherers organized in bands. They called themselves
qomleʔk, and spoke a distinctive variation of Guaicuruan language. For three hundred years, coalitions of Toba braves successfully rejected Jesuit missionaries, alternatively fought and aligned with neighboring groups, and resisted the advance of colonial settlers. However, little is known about the remote past of these resilient peoples, who became mounted foragers in the early 1600s. A careful review of historical, ethnographic, and linguistic records on Tobas around the Upper Pilcomayo River produced a considerable amount of information, pointing to the long-term continuity of their presence in the region. The materials were less informative on cultural and social changes in their society through time. This study presents new insights on Toba bands trekking territories on the Manso Plains,


Archives for July 2022
BAPO have just released additional dates for the MSK course. To book please go to the members section and either sign into your account if you are a member or for non-members create a temporary account to book electronically
This course is now full
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recently proposed an update for the Osteoarthritis: assessment and management guidance (previously published in 2014). The new guidance recommends a significant change in practice which is likely to impact orthotic provision for adults with osteoarthritis. The new guidance recommends the following:
“On considering the evidence identified in this review, the committee agreed that, in general, the evidence for insoles, braces, tape, splints and supports showed no clinically important benefits from their usage when compared to no device use. In some cases, potential harms from the devices were identified (such as blisters with braces). Given this, the committee agreed that based on the absence of strong evidence of benefit and some evidence of harm, that these devices should not be routinely offered”
The statement can be found in “[H] Evidence reviews for the clinical and cost-effectiveness of devices for the management of osteoarthritis” on page 93 lines 33-44.
———————–
BAPO’s position
The British Association of Prosthetists and Orthotists (BAPO) strongly opposes this recommendation. BAPO feels it reduces the service users’ conservative treatment options, particularly where surgery and pharmaceutical intervention is contraindicated.
It is ambiguous in terms of orthotic provision as an adjunct to other interventions e.g., pre-and post-surgery. Similarly, the use of the term “routinely” creates further ambiguity.
BAPO is also disappointed that an orthotist was not included as part of the committee reviewing these guidelines.
BAPO has submitted an official response to the guidance outlining our concerns. We await a response from NICE and will endeavour to keep our members up to date with any progress.


Throughout the Soviet era and into the present-day, media has played an important role in Russian foreign policy. In recent years, particularly since the Ukraine conflict, Russia’s use of media as a key lever of broader influence campaigns has gained notoriety domestically and internationally. Today, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his key advisors, often referred to as his “inner circle,” use media to disseminate key messages about Russia’s foreign policy agenda, discredit Western institutions and foundational elements of Western democracy, reduce social cohesion, and promote Russia’s role in the international system. To better understand these dynamics, CNA has initiated a study that maps Russia’s media network and the decision-making process of President Putin and his advisors.
CNA gathered data using Russian and English language sources reviewed primary messaging from the Kremlin, and evaluated the role that media plays in Russian foreign policy. We supplemented our research with semi-structured conversations with subject matter experts on Russian decision making in the media sphere. After validating our insights with subject matter experts, we developed overarching key takeaways to help policy makers better understand the role that media plays in Russian foreign policy and decision-making.
Key Insights and Takeaways
Television is the most popular source of information for Russian citizens, followed by the internet, radio, and print media. The Russian government directly controls and operates state media and exercises considerable influence over private media through both formal and informal means while seeking greater control over media with larger audiences. Russia’s rich business elite, commonly referred to as “oligarchs,” owns most of Russia’s media. Our assessment highlights that President Putin has links to most media-owning oligarchs.
President Vladimir Putin and his inner circle view domestic and international media as key instruments in promoting Russian state interests. Russia’s media has three primary functions in contributing to Russian foreign policy: mobilizing and sustaining domestic political support for its foreign and security policies; presenting official perspectives and policies to foreign audiences; and influencing foreign audiences through disinformation and propaganda.
The Presidential Administration plays a central role in aligning Russia’s media strategy and messaging with the Kremlin’s foreign policy objectives on a day-to-day basis. Putin selectively exercises personal leadership, known as “manual control” or ручное управление, when Russia’s political system, his personal legitimacy, or Russia’s national security are at stake. Putin also often personally delivers key messages, something that can attract considerable domestic attention as well as large international audiences extending well beyond those accessible solely through Russia’s state-controlled external media. Surrounding President Putin is his inner circle of key advisers whom we classify as messengers, strategists, bureaucrats, and owners. A detailed map of President Putin and his media “inner circle” can be found on page 32.
In addition to mapping out Russia’s internal media network and decision-making processes in the media, we developed a baseline assessment of Russia’s external influence. In addition to media, other key levers of influence are culture and society, business, and politics. In analyzing Russia’s broader external influence, we explored Russian media decision-making and messaging in four recent historical cases involving crisis, armed conflict, grey zone, and steady-state. We reached the following conclusions:
Vladimir Putin is likely to exercise “manual control” of Russia’s messaging in high-stakes crisis situations; conversely, if Putin is unavailable, this may complicate Russia’s decision-making, including on messaging
In armed conflict or grey zone operations, Putin is likely to exercise “manual control” over messaging only at key decision points, when he broadly defines tone and content for subordinates
Most of the time, Putin’s relevant top aides manage Russia’s day-to-day media/messaging activities, even during armed conflict
Putin’s involvement and visibility appears correlated to how high the stakes are for Russia in any given situation, with Putin playing more of a leading role in the grey zone conflict in Ukraine, for example, than in political interference in Montenegro
Moscow’s refusals to acknowledge some of its covert and overt conduct may have aims other than deception, such as preserving freedom of action, winning leverage through ambiguity, or allowing its adversaries to save face.Download full report
DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT A. Approved for public release: distribution unlimited.
Details Pages:92 Document Number:DRM-2017-U-015367-3Rev
Publication Date:1/8/2018


Conning Announces its Newest Strategic Report: ESG—The Companies Speak: Insights from Conning’s ESG Survey of Insurers
May 31, 2022
HARTFORD, CT – May 31, 2022 – Over 90% of survey respondents indicated their company has implemented ESG considerations in their investment process, with almost 80% implementing them within the past two years, according to a new study by Conning.
Insurance management teams reported a significant increase in ESG engagement. This suggests that ESG has become a key area that insurers are working to incorporate into their businesses,” said Terence Martin, a Director in Insurance Research at Conning. “However, there are key differences between life-annuity and property-casualty companies, and between public stock and mutual-fraternal companies.”
“This survey indicates that, while the U.S. insurance industry is clearly aware of, and focusing on, ESG, yet at this point, companies are following their own paths to ESG integration. This is not surprising given the diversity of the U.S. insurance industry,” said Scott Hawkins, Head of Insurance Research at Conning. “The one area of exception where there is more consistency across different types of insurers appears to be in investment management.”
The Conning study,
“ESG—The Companies Speak: Insights from Conning’s ESG Survey of Insurers” provides data and analysis of 280 responses to a survey of U.S. insurance executives and upper management from a broad cross-section of companies representing all sizes, ownership structures, and business focuses. The survey explores the influence of forces and stakeholders on companies, and actions companies are taking on the environment, social, and governance fronts. “ESG—The Companies Speak: Insights from Conning’s ESG Survey of Insurers” is available for purchase from Conning by calling (888) 707-1177 or visiting www.conning.com/insurance-research.
* * *
Conning (www.conning.com) is a leading investment management firm with a long history of serving the insurance industry. Conning supports institutional investors, including insurers and pension plans, with investment solutions, risk modeling software, and industry research. Founded in 1912, Conning has investment centers in Asia, Europe and North America.
# # #
Media Contacts Alyssa Gittleman Conning 860-299-2288 Alyssa.Gittleman@conning.com


Publications
Publications
August 2017 Management Science The First Deal: The Division of Founder Equity in New Ventures
By: Thomas F. Hellmann and Noam Wasserman
Abstract
We examine the trade-off between efficiency and equality within the context of entrepreneurial founding teams. Using a formal theory where founders may have preferences over relative outcomes, we derive predictions about the antecedents and consequences of dividing equity equally among all founders. Using proprietary survey data, we empirically test the predictions. Our central finding is that teams that split equity equally are less likely to raise funds from outside investors. The relationship appears not to be causal, but instead driven by selection effects across heterogeneous teams with varying degrees of inequality aversion.
Keywords Citation
Hellmann, Thomas F., and Noam Wasserman. "The First Deal: The Division of Founder Equity in New Ventures."
Management Science63, no. 8 (August 2017): 2647–2666.


Readmore...
Pharmaceutical containers can be tested for Container Closure Integrity (CCI) in a variety of ways. Blue dye test and bacterial or microbial immersion test come under traditional, probabilistic methods. Whereas Vacuum Decay, Airborne Ultrasound, MicroCurrent HVLD, and Helium Leak Detection belong to the deterministic group of test methods. Each approach has advantages and disadvantages that should be considered while selecting a test method for a certain container type. All the methods are not appropriate for all sample configurations. Some succeed in certain applications while failing in others. Nowadays, the pharmaceutical industry is moving away from the traditional blue dye and bacterial immersion test methods and approaching deterministic methods for CCI testing.
The helium leak rate method is proven to be a strong contender for many applications. Helium leak testing is described as the process of detecting leaks in various enclosed or sealed systems by utilizing helium as a "tracer" gas and measuring its concentration as it leaves due to leakage. Like most CCI methods, Helium Leak Detection is deterministic. This method is more sensitive and not prone to contamination as compared to traditional dye or bacterial immersion methods. Due to its highly sensitive nature, it is possible to detect extremely small leaks, which are not possible with other leak testing methods.
Validating Helium Leak Rate Method for Pharmaceutical Containers
Validation of a Helium leak rate method for pharmaceutical container closure integrity assurance required proof that this physical testing method was as excellent as, if not better than, microbial immersion challenge testing in detecting potential integrity problems. Helium leak rate and microbial challenge tests were performed on one lot of rubber-stopper, broth-filled glass vials, which include faulty vials with known leaks. Glass micropipettes (0.1 to 10 microns) were fitted into the sidewalls of the vials to prepare defective vials. A 10% seeded defect rate was present in the validation lot, with nearly 50% of the leaks having a predicted probability of failing a microbial challenge (> 10%). The test units were charged for 4 hours under 40 psi helium pressure to implant the helium tracer in them. After charging, the crucial leak rate was found to be 10(-7) standard cc/second, and test units with measured leak rates exceeding this value were considered helium leak rate failures.
Microbial immersion challenge was performed by immersing the test units for 24 hours in a bath containing 10(9-10) viable E. coli and B. diminuta organisms, followed by a 13-day incubation period at 35°C. Visually, microbial failures were identified. The mean failure rates of the helium and microbial leak test techniques were compared statistically. The average helium failure rate was 6.9%, whereas the average microbial failure rate was 2.8%. There was a considerable difference between helium and microbial failure rates. As a result, helium leak rate testing has been shown to be an acceptable pharmaceutical container/closure integrity method for container quality assurance.
The helium leak detection method is chosen to be one of the best techniques for ensuring the integrity of pharmaceutical containers. This technique may be used to test the inherent package integrity and the Maximum Allowable Leakage Limit (MALL) during package development. It is applicable to a wide range of package types, can locate leaks, and can measure leak flow rates directly.
helium-based leak detection systems, helium leak testing, helium leak detection, helium mass spectrometry, helium leak detector
398


How to keep children safe from dog bites in Denver
There are items that pet owners and parents can do in order to prevent a dog attack in Colorado.
In mid-February 2016, three children were seriously injured when several Great Danes attacked. According to Fox 31 Denver, a woman had taken her five children with her to check on her employer’s dogs in Rush, Colorado. Three dogs attacked four of the children, causing injuries so severe in three of them that surgery was required.
These incidents are devastating for everyone involved. Fortunately, there are measures that pet owners and parents alike can take to prevent a dog attack from happening.
Pet owners’ responsibilities
Under Colorado law, dog owners are strictly liable for the damages a victim suffers as the result of an attack. A plaintiff who brings a lawsuit against a pet owner does not have to prove that the owner was negligent. While it is possible that an insurance company will pay for medical bills, a lawsuit could provide compensation for other losses. This provides a strong incentive for owners to ensure that their dogs do not pose a threat to others.
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals offers a number of ways that pet owners can prevent a bite, such as the following:
Dogs should be spayed or neutered. Dogs should attend reward-based behavior classes for training. Dogs should be socialized because it can lead to less aggression. Owners should know the early signs of aggression or the triggers that can lead to their animal’s aggression.
The ASPCA also notes that at the first sign of aggressive behavior, an owner should consult with a certified applied animal behaviorist or dog trainer for help.
What parents can do
Children younger than 10 years old and dogs should not be left alone together, according to the ASPCA. Through supervising the interaction between a child and a dog, a parent can teach the child how to treat the animal with respect. This includes leaving the dog alone while it is sleeping, eating, or with puppies.
It is not a good idea to approach an unfamiliar dog, a dog behind a fence or in a car. These animals may be aggressive or territorial and attack a child. Parents should teach children to always ask a dog’s owner before reaching out to pet the animal.
Know the warning signs of a potential dog attack
Children, their parents, and pet owners should all be familiar with the warning signs that a dog is becoming aggressive to prevent a bite and a personal injury lawsuit. The ASPCA notes that an animal that becomes still and rigid may be warning humans to back away. A deep bark and lunging are also signs that an attack may be imminent. Dogs also warn people by showing their teeth, snarling, and snapping. If a dog is exhibiting any of these behaviors, people are advised to walk away slowly.
Unfortunately, not every bite can be prevented. When a dog attack does occur, victims have the right to hold pet owners accountable for damages. Anyone who has questions about this issue should consult with an attorney.


The moon darkened Jupiter briefly this morning as it passed by in Aquarius. Jupiter’s brilliance was stifled by its energy but not for long. That moment, however short, still remains important to learn from. What was learned? There are still things from the past that need to be looked at and dealt with. They can offer a better understanding of current events. Still, nothing to dwell on and get stuck in, but as we recognize these shadowy aspects, we can learn what is needed to soften at this time instead of harshly rejecting it. It is not about the pain, but the lesson learned from a past situation that needs to be applied to one we are in now.
We all share in these darkened areas and must accept them as part of the collective energy running through us. Disregarding them no longer works as existing shadows in the world become more apparent. Only in acceptance will we gain the knowledge needed to increase clarity and solutions. This is not meant to get rid of the dark but live with it and its lessons. As we face the sunlight, let us remember that our roots are based in darkness. While the Sun shines and we allow its warmth to penetrate our bodies, we have a new opportunity, a new perspective, and a chance to recognize the power we hold within us. Just as Jupiter comes back to brilliance, so must we. Not by hiding our deepest shadows but by finding the knowledge that resides in them.


Collateral assignment split-dollar plans are a powerful executive benefit with favorable tax treatment that can incentivize retention and offer credit union leaders a long-term income stream in retirement. However, while many credit unions have collateral assignment split-dollar plans as part of their executive benefits mix, it is no secret that these tools are more complex […]
When deciding which executive benefits to provide to your leadership team, your board may have landed on the benefits afforded by choosing a collateral assignment split-dollar plan. This benefit type is a legal agreement between the credit union and executive that incorporates retirement distributions with life insurance coverage. While split-dollar plans are relatively common, designing […]


Technical communication is deeply connected to a great customer experience. We are now in a world where customers expect self-service when they have a query or a problem to solve. We predict that documentation will evolve to become a key part of the customer experience (CX), and its value as a core component of business success recognised. But are your current tools and processes set up to get you there?
This webinar explores the intersection of authoring, collaboration and customer experience. Technical communicators have access to the length and breadth of an organization in a way that other roles don’t. This highlights just how influential they can be, and how they are the glue that holds knowledge from across the business together.
It’s crucial that those working in documentation pivot the view of their role as a pipeline of publications to create and maintain, and instead rise above the perceived silos and reimagine their role as a core business driver. Organizations that succeed in this change will have happier and more successful customers.
Watch this on-demand webinar to learn more about:
The business significance of authoring, collaboration and CX Why technical communicators’ KPIs should be based on CX Understanding authoring as content curation rather than content creation How CX is more influential for customer choice than pricing or features The key role technical communicators play in making organizations successful


Abstract
Importance: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the US federal government required that skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) close to visitors and eliminate communal activities. Although these policies were intended to protect residents, they may have had unintended negative effects. Objective: To assess health outcomes among SNFs with and without known COVID-19 cases. Design, Setting, and Participants: This retrospective observational study used US Medicare claims and Minimum Data Set 3.0 for January through November in each year beginning in 2018 and ending in 2020 including 15477 US SNFs with 2985864 resident-years. Exposures: January through November of calendar years 2018, 2019, and 2020. COVID-19 diagnoses were used to assign SNFs into 2 mutually exclusive groups with varying membership by month in 2020: active COVID-19 (≥1 COVID-19 diagnosis in the current or past month) or no-known COVID-19 (no observed diagnosis by that month). Main Outcomes and Measures: Monthly rates of mortality, hospitalization, emergency department (ED) visits, and monthly changes in activities of daily living (ADLs), body weight, and depressive symptoms. Each SNF in 2018 and 2019 served as its own control for 2020. Results: In 2018-2019, mean monthly mortality was 2.2%, hospitalization 3.0%, and ED visit rate 2.9% overall. In 2020, among active COVID-19 SNFs compared with their own 2018-2019 baseline, mortality increased by 1.60% (95% CI, 1.58% to 1.62%), hospitalizations decreased by 0.10% (95% CI, -0.12% to -0.09%), and ED visit rates decreased by 0.57% (95% CI, -0.59% to -0.55%). Among no-known COVID-19 SNFs, mortality decreased by 0.15% (95% CI, -0.16% to -0.13%), hospitalizations by 0.83% (95% CI, -0.85% to -0.81%), and ED visits by 0.79% (95% CI, -0.81% to -0.77%). All changes were statistically significant. In 2018-2019, across all SNFs, residents required assistance with an additional 0.89 ADLs between January and November, and lost 1.9 lb; 27.1% had worsened depressive symptoms. In 2020, residents in active COVID-19 SNFs required assistance with an additional 0.36 ADLs (95% CI, 0.34 to 0.38), lost 3.1 lb (95% CI, -3.2 to -3.0 lb) more weight, and were 4.4% (95% CI, 4.1% to 4.7%) more likely to have worsened depressive symptoms, all statistically significant changes. In 2020, residents in no-known COVID-19 SNFs had no significant change in ADLs (-0.06 [95% CI, -0.12 to 0.01]), but lost 1.8 lb (95% CI, -2.1 to -1.5 lb) more weight and were 3.2% more likely (95% CI, 2.3% to 4.1%) to have worsened depressive symptoms, both statistically significant changes. Conclusions and Relevance: Among skilled nursing facilities in the US during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic and prior to the availability of COVID-19 vaccination, mortality and functional decline significantly increased at facilities with active COVID-19 cases compared with the prepandemic period, while a modest statistically significant decrease in mortality was observed at facilities that had never had a known COVID-19 case. Weight loss and depressive symptoms significantly increased in skilled nursing facilities in the first year of the pandemic, regardless of COVID-19 status.


Passwords, a basic yet essential part of cybersecurity, are the first line of defence against cyberattacks in our increasingly digital world. However, according to research from Check Point Software, many users are under the false impression that cybercriminals have no interest in their personal information or data on their computers.
And it is for this reason that the robustness and strength of passwords are more important now than ever. With that in mind – thanks to Checkpoint – here are three of the tactics used to steal passwords along with the necessary steps to prevent any person from becoming a victim of cybercrime:
Phishing attacks
This method has become one of the most widely used tactics for stealing passwords and usernames. It works in a simple way: by sending an email that appears to come from a trusted source (such as banks, energy companies, etc.), but aims to manipulate the recipient and extract confidential information.
An example of a successful phishing attack was the data breach at Experian, where a fraudster purported as a legitimate client obtained the personal information of as many as 24 million South Africans and nearly 793,749 business entities.
One of the best ways to prevent a phishing attack is by implementing a two-step authentication. This extra layer of security prompts the user to enter a second password, which is usually sent via SMS. This way, access to an account is prevented even if they have the user’s credentials.
Brute-force or dictionary hacking
This type of cyber-attack involves trying to crack a password through repetition. The cybercriminals will try multiple random combinations, combining names, letters, and numbers, until they gain access.
To prevent them from achieving their goal, it is essential that users create complicated and complex passwords that cybercriminals would never be able to guess randomly.
To do this, it is necessary to leave out names, dates, and common words. Instead, it is best to create a unique password of at least eight characters that combine letters (both upper and lower case), numbers and symbols.
Keyloggers
These programmes are capable of recording every keystroke made on a computer and even record what is displayed on the screen. This information is then sent and stored on external servers, then used by cybercriminals.
These cyber-attacks are commonly part of malware that has been previously installed on a computer. The worst thing about these attacks is that many people often use the same password for different user accounts.
To prevent this, it is essential to use a different password for each profile or account. To do this, a password manager can be used, which allows both managing and generating different and robust password combinations for each service based on the guidelines decided upon


Overview
Message from Leadership
FY 2021 is marked by notable progress and a momentous first for GHIT, despite the continuing Covid-19 pandemic. First, we want to begin with gratitude – to our development partners for their creativity, collaboration, and perseverance; to our longstanding and new funders and sponsors for their unwavering support and partnership; and to the global health community for its unity and innovation as we continue the fight against neglected diseases.
A watershed moment in GHIT's R&D history
In November 2021, the GHIT-invested Pediatric Praziquantel Consortium, a public-private partnership dedicated to the development of arpraziquantel celebrating its 10th anniversary, announced the completion of its pivotal Phase III trial in Côte d'Ivoire and Kenya for a new treatment option for schistosomiasis in preschool-aged children. The successful joint development of pediatric praziquantel represents one of GHIT's most significant R&D achievements to date. The new formulation and treatment option will bring hope and health to more than 50 million preschool-aged children in the coming years. The Covid-19 pandemic made a significant logistical impact on clinical programs; nevertheless, we remain firmly invested in meeting our original clinical targets, together with our partners, by the end of March 2023.
Vision for the GHIT 3.0
GHIT has initiated dialogue with our funders for our replenishment and solidified our investment strategy for GHIT 3.0 (FY 2023-2027), which we will announce later this fiscal year. We look forward to further collaboration with all stakeholders in coming years.
Osamu Kunii, MD, MPH, PhDGHIT Fund CEO
Hiroki Nakatani, MD, PhD, MHPEdChair & Representative Director


When a patient calls an ambulance with a condition such as a stroke, heart attack, or traumatic injury, Emergency Medical Services (EMS) protocols ensure emergent transport to the most appropriate facility for immediate treatment. However, this often isn’t the end of the patient journey. Once the patient’s condition stabilizes, they may need to be transferred to yet another facility for any number of reasons, including clinical or surgical specialization, specific testing requirements, and lack of capacity.
Historically, there has been no standardized methodology to determine where and how patients are moved in these scenarios. The decision is largely based on the experience of physicians, nurses, and ancillary staff, who rely on their accumulated clinical wisdom in selecting the next step in a patient’s care. Clinical experience is invaluable in the transfer process, but relying on experience alone can lead to oversight, risk, and unbalanced prioritization.
For example, some caregivers may simply opt for the closest available facility based on convenience and proximity—two factors that aren’t necessarily foremost in saving lives. Several other factors that must be considered to ensure optimal transfer and patient outcomes. Having a standardized communication framework that uses objective language and centers on patient acuity can turn transfer assessment into a repeatable, organized process that can be applied to every patient, reducing variability, guesswork, and risk.
An Acuity Index for standardized transfer decision-making
In a previous blog, we outlined the value of Motient’s Acuity Index, which provides a standard protocol for patient transfer assessment. The Index scores a person’s condition based on answers to eight questions that consider the current clinical workload, the present risks, a prognostic perspective of the patient, and the level of care the patient will need based on the severity of their illness. Understanding the patient’s acuity level helps providers match the transfer patient with an optimal receiving facility that can provide the necessary care.
The information gathered by the Acuity Index is weighted, and the result helps providers determine the level of care needed in the transfer process, such as crew capabilities and the recommended transport mode. Key measures calculated include the current stability of the patient, the interventions and monitoring needed to maintain that stability, and the patient’s risk of deterioration once they leave the hospital and begin their journey to definitive care. The final Acuity Score stratifies patients into groupings to aid quality departments and enhance reporting processes.
The assessment of clinical deterioration is critical in the transfer process, as a higher pre-transfer risk score predicts the probability of clinical deterioration. According to a 2020 study, the incidence of clinical decline in the interfacility transfer of critically ill and injured patients was 28.69%. The types of illnesses with the highest probability of clinical deterioration are those involving circulatory, respiratory, and neurological systems (e.g., arrhythmias, chest pain, traumatic head injury, etc.). Having a standard protocol in place to evaluate the patient’s risk of deterioration—and to adjust transfer mode and crew capabilities accordingly—is a crucial factor in ensuring the best possible outcomes.
A common language for patient movement and bed management
The patient’s acuity score functions as the baseline for transfer decisions, allowing sending hospitals to determine if a proposed receiving hospital has the resources necessary to adequately meet the patient’s needs while prioritizing patient movement based on time sensitivity. Receiving centers can also survey incoming patients to assist in their internal bed management.
When clinicians have the common language of acuity at their disposal, the patient’s score functions as shorthand, immediately conveying the difference between patients. This utility is essential, as a score can quickly communicate the core condition of the patient without the listener having to parse the details in that moment. Clinicians who are well-versed in the acuity scale will immediately understand what the score represents and can act accordingly.
Appropriate initial placement of a transferred patient can save valuable clinical time. Acuity scores can also be used to help clinicians guide bed placement decisions. For example, a telemetry bed request for a patient with a high acuity score can trigger a pre-arrival screening to clarify if a patient with high care needs should be placed on an intermediate unit.
The proximity of a destination facility is just one factor in a potential transfer decision and one that isn’t necessarily the most important. Care capabilities, patient acuity, risk of deterioration, transportation mode, and timing all impact the ultimate success of a transfer. The decision to transfer a patient cannot be made with incomplete, random, or potentially biased information. Instead, transfers must be guided by an organized assessment and decision process. This data should also be shared among all parties in the transfer process to facilitate ongoing dialogue and collaborative problem-solving.
Tools like Motient’s Mission Control can help providers streamline transfer decisions by enabling patient acuity tracking and the monitoring of hospital and medical transport logistics from a single source. Patient condition changes, ETA updates, routing changes, real-time maps, utilization, and more can all be tracked via the Mission Control dashboard to ensure clinically informed, value-based decision making. Learn more.


Abstract
The mutualistic symbiont Vibrio fischeri builds a symbiotic biofilm during colonization of squid hosts. Regulation of the exopolysaccharide component, termed Syp, has been examined in strain ES114, where production is controlled by a phosphorelay that includes the inner membrane hybrid histidine kinase RscS. Most strains that lack RscS or encode divergent RscS proteins cannot colonize a squid host unless RscS from a squid symbiont is heterologously expressed. In this study, we examine V. fischeri isolates worldwide to understand the landscape of biofilm regulation during beneficial colonization. We provide a detailed study of three distinct evolutionary groups of V. fischeri and find that while the RscS-Syp biofilm pathway is required in one of the groups, two other groups of squid symbionts require Syp independent of RscS. Mediterranean squid symbionts, including V. fischeri SR5, colonize without an RscS homolog encoded by their genome. Additionally, group A V. fischeri strains, which form a tightly related clade of Hawaii isolates, have a frameshift in rscS and do not require the gene for squid colonization or competitive fitness. These same strains have a frameshift in sypE, and we provide evidence that this group A sypE allele leads to an upregulation in biofilm activity. Thus, this work describes the central importance of Syp biofilm in colonization of diverse isolates and demonstrates that significant evolutionary transitions correspond to regulatory changes in the syp pathway. IMPORTANCE Biofilms are surface-associated, matrix-encased bacterial aggregates that exhibit enhanced protection to antimicrobial agents. Previous work has established the importance of biofilm formation by a strain of luminous Vibrio fischeri bacteria as the bacteria colonize their host, the Hawaiian bobtail squid. In this study, expansion of this work to many natural isolates revealed that biofilm genes are universally required, yet there has been a shuffling of the regulators of those genes. This work provides evidence that even when bacterial behaviors are conserved, dynamic regulation of those behaviors can underlie evolution of the host colonization phenotype. Furthermore, this work emphasizes the importance of investigating natural diversity as we seek to understand molecular mechanisms in bacteria.
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes Microbiology Molecular Biology Keywords Aliivibrio fischeri BinK Biofilm Phosphorelay RscS Vibrio fischeri


Welcome to the University of Wisconsin Dermatology surgical training space! Click here to take a quick video tour with resident Kyle Rudningen, MD.
Nearly a century ago, Dr. Frederic Mohs pioneered a revolutionary technique for surgical treatment of skin cancer, and we maintain that proud tradition of excellence in cutaneous surgery today. Procedural and surgical skills are a focus in our dermatology residency program and residents start early.
In the first month, residents engage in hands-on workshops and review of the techniques involved in local excisions. First-year residents are given opportunities to
work one-on-one with one of our Mohs surgeons at the VA performing excisions as the primary surgeon. Committing this level of time and faculty supervision gives the resident adequate feedback to focus on quality prior to efficiency.
Surgical didactic sessions are given once monthly by attending physicians and the micrographic surgery fellow. In addition to excisions workshops, topics will rotate but typically include: Intro to Mohs surgery, Laser Basics, Laser Endpoints, Surgical Complications, Facial Anatomy Basics, Wound Closures (from primary closure through interpolation flaps), Botox and Filler Lectures, and High Risk SCC.
Continuity clinics include an excision slot each week. By maintaining this ongoing exposure to cutaneous surgery, residents keep their skills and confidence fresh while continually gaining autonomy. The patients are scheduled under the residents’ name and
it is the expectation that the resident is the primary surgeon.
Residents typically have two dedicated surgery months where they are typically one-on-one with one of our fellowship-trained Mohs surgeons (Drs. Aylward, Swanson, and Xu). Residents will gain experience completing complex closures as well as exposure to flaps and grafts. In addition to the two dedicated months of surgery at UW, residents will rotate 3 months at the VA Dermatology Clinic as the senior resident for a surgery-focused experience. This typically includes three Mohs clinics as the primary surgeon and one half-day of excisions per week.
We feel we offer some of the strongest surgical training among dermatology residencies in the country. We strive to focus on the basics initially while aiming to build on those skills. We pride ourselves on our culture where residents can feel safe to seek assistance from more senior residents, our Mohs fellow, and attendings. With a blend of supportive feedback coupled with enough volume and graduated autonomy, our residents are surgically well-prepared long before graduation.
Thank you for your interest in the University of Wisconsin Dermatology training program and we hope to meet you in the future!


Ben Alessio ’21
Physics
Electrokinetics for Separation of Particles and Potential Water Purification
I researched diffusiophoresis, which is the transport of charged colloids — mixtures of microscopic particles of one substance suspended in another — by a concentration gradient in a solution. Diffusiophoresis has been demonstrated to serve as a mechanism to aid water-purification processes, though it has numerous potential applications in the field of fluid mechanics. I focused on the numerical modeling of pore-geometry experiments in which diffusiophoresis forced the compaction or ejection of colloids from a small pore. I expanded the numerical model to include theorized physical effects that had been previously neglected, including constant colloidal charge, two-dimensional fluid-velocity field arising from solute-wall interactions, and multiple solutes with co-dependent electro-neutrality. With these effects in the numerical model, the predicted transport closely matched experiments being performed by the research group. Throughout this internship, I came to understand the importance of numerical modeling and the patience required for it. As a physics major, I was initially out of my comfort zone working on a chemical engineering problem. However, my experience with partial differential equations and coding helped guide me toward a productive and fulfilling research experience, which I will be continuing for my senior thesis.
* This internship is connected to the HMEI Water and the Environment Grand Challenges project, “Diffusiophoresis of Control of Particles in Water Systems.”
2020
Water and the Environment
Complex Fluids Group, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Princeton University
Howard Stone, Donald R. Dixon ’69 and Elizabeth W. Dixon Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering